1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to using ultrasound apparatus and methods for the noninvasive modification of adipose tissue.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Body sculpting has developed into a highly sought after procedure for restoring people to a leaner, trimmer physique. The field of cosmetic surgery has ballooned considerably with developments in both tools and techniques. One of the more popular for quick body sculpting is liposuction.
Liposuction is a method of body contouring that can dramatically improve the shape and contour of different body areas by sculpting and removing unwanted fat. In the United States, more than 400,000 liposuction procedures are performed annually. Recent innovations and advances in the field of liposuction include the tumescent technique and an ultrasonic assisted technique. Traditional liposuction was done by making small incisions in desired locations, then inserting a hollow tube or cannula under the skin in the fat layer. The cannula is connected to a vacuum and the fat is vacuumed out. This procedure indiscriminately removed fat, connective tissue, blood vessels and nerve tissue. The procedure caused bleeding, bruising, trauma, and blood loss; the combination of which restricts the amount of fat that can be removed safely in any given procedure.
The Tumescent technique allows for removal of significantly more fat during the operation with less blood loss. Tumescent liposuction involves injecting saline and adrenalin solution before suctioning. A cannula is again used with a suction device to remove fat. This procedure reduces the bleeding of traditional liposuction. However the procedure still removes a significant amount of non-fat tissue.
A more refined liposuction technique is Ultrasound Assisted Lipoplasty (UAL). UAL is similar to the Tumescent technique, but adds a cannula (or probe) vibrating at ultrasonic frequencies. This vibration disrupts the near volume fat cells and essentially liquefies them for easy removal. UAL uses a low power suction and draws the fat material only in the near vicinity of the cannula tip. This technique is more refined and gentle to the tissue, there is less blood loss, less bruising, less pain, and a significantly faster recovery. All liposuction techniques are invasive and present risks of infection and surgery risks to the patients who under go these procedures.
Furthermore, once the underlying tissue is removed, the skin may become baggy or loose. To combat loose folds of skin or sagging of skin tissue, a patient may elect to have the extra skin removed (by under going a skin excision operation) or elect a skin tightening procedure.
In addition to these invasive forms of liposuction, there are numerous other techniques in the prior art for treating unwanted fat (adipose tissue). These techniques, methods and compositions include, but are not limited to; creams, lotions, garments, massage tools and techniques, therapy procedures involving lasers, RF or ultrasound equipment, general surgery, medication and a host of “home remedies.”
Unfortunately none of these procedures provide a one step solution for a patient. The norm is for a patient to undergo multiple treatments, sometimes for the same “trouble spot” on the body, before the patient is satisfied with the results. Techniques and instruments of the prior art are designed for particular applications and operate within parameters specific to one desired outcome.
Thus there remains a need for a single solution to the multiple step problem of either removing or reducing unwanted tissue volume while simultaneously providing for improved cosmetic appearance without the need for secondary or follow on procedures.
There is also a need for a cost effective solution to provide for a simple, quick and effective manner to achieve the desired objective or producing a viable body sculpting procedure in one simple procedure.